By Abdulai Mansaray
When President Maada Bio took tenancy of State House the first time, he was wearing a military fatigue and holding a gun. Thankfully, he did not shoot a bullet in anger and many called it a bloodless coup. Since that fateful day, his admirers fondly call him the father of our nascent democracy.
When you fast forward to 2018, Maada became a civilian leader, thanks to some political alchemy called democratic elections. He is 18 months into his second term -timed leadership role. It is plausible to conclude without the benefit of a lie detector test, that President Bio is feverishly thinking about his succession. Like all outgoing leaders, succession to his throne will be primarily determined by the kind of legacy President Bio wants to bequeath. A leaders’ lasting value is measured by succession and President Bio’s success will be partly measured by the success of his successor.
As many would know, Presidential legacies are too valuable to be left up to historians. There is no doubt that amidst the publicly smooth flow of the SLPP political river, there is bound to be some ongoing political rumblings within the party’s mesosphere of its crust.
There is no doubt, that President Bio will be focussed on completing his agenda and vision. However, you cannot deny that he doesn’t have one “corner yaie” on the question of his successor. In politics, successions are usually determined but no limited to the vision, the legacy, the personality etc. of the outgoing leader. In most cases, leaders would like to be succeeded by people in their own image, people who would complete their “unfinished business”, or most importantly provide security for their life after politics. It is plausible that the syndrome of “after me, Na udat?” is a fixture of the political discourse these days, though with the mute button on. It is not surprising that Her Excellency Fatima Bio had to issue a statement sometime ago “debunking” reports about ongoing rifts about succession in the party.
Interestingly, succession in politics can be twofold: succession in the party and the nation. It is unquestionably important for the leader to leave office with a united political party and country. Not many leaders have succeeded in achieving both. This is because, it is often difficult to marry the demands and interests of their respective political parties with that of the nation’s.
If truth be told, and judging by the events of the last 7 years, President Bio would find it easier to bequeath a united SLPP than a united Sierra Leone…..for obvious reasons. If President Bio is aiming to leave a united country or at least a united SLPP, as its motto professes (One country, One people), much of that will also depend on who, why, when and how he presides over the choice of his successor. I am sure that President Bio will be keen to avoid the mistakes of his predecessor Ernest Koroma; the effects of which are felt through the APC to this day.
When Ernest Koroma declared Samura Wilson Kamara as his successor and APC flagbearer for the 2018 general elections, the surprise (understatement) was underlined by “U sabi am”, a question that greeted the latter’s appointment. To all intent and purposes, EBK had reportedly asked the APC big wigs to choose their leader; sounds democratic, right? With more than 18 reported flagbearer aspirants, rumours had it that EBK was forced to choose or select Samura because the APC aspirants could not agree on who should lead the party in the 2018 elections. But how would you agree when hitherto, EBK had reportedly promised every aspirant with the position. If this rumour was true, how would you give up such a possibility when you have been personally assured of the President’s backing for the position?
It was during the 2018 convention, or what seemed to be “the last supper”, that many would -have -been flagbearers realised that they were victims of a major political 419. It was on that fateful day that the nation was given the kind of APC we have today. It marked the beginning of the infighting, the breakaways and political dismantlement that we all see happening right before our very eyes today. That was the day a knife was put on the things that held the party together and things have since fallen apart. It is no surprise that it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how the APC can ever act as one…again. We all witnessed how Samura campaigned on his own and with only EBK in tow in 2018. The rest is history?
So, did EBK leave a united APC party? Did EBK leave a united country? You be the judge. Did EBK feel guilty and responsible for the outcome of the 2018 Elections for his party? Is that what he wanted to rectify? Did EBK think and feel that he had “unfinished business”? Is that why he could not retire away from active politics? Did EBK want to rejig his legacy in the APC party? These and many more questions should be on the minds of many APC members. It is unfortunate that sometimes, “succession planning often results in the selection of a weaker version of oneself” (P. Drucker).
When President Bio joined the race to become the flagbearer of the SLPP, it marked his metamorphosis from military to civilian route to leadership. One of the first things Maada did was to carve out an identity for himself and his following or vision. It gave birth to the now famous or infamous (take your pick) PAOPA movement. It was very obvious that Bio was desperate to break away from the past. We saw how people like Charles Margai, Kandeh Yumkella, Suma Kapen, and other staunch members and household names were systematically but surgically nullified (don’t take it literally). This led to defections and the birth of new political parties like National Grand Coalition. With Yumkella and others returning, who says Machiavellian politics is dead? Enough of the history lesson, but it is plausibly important that keeping a united SLPP, if not a united Sierra Leone will be high on President Bio’s mind and agenda. This will require the astuteness, planning and implementation with military precision (don’t take it literally). I am not advocating a November 26, please.
When Fatima Bio came out to dispel rumours of political infighting about the leadership succession, was it enough to keep the wagging tongues at rest? NO. In the meantime, potential names have been whispered around. There are a lot of people who have gone ahead and unofficially appointed the First Minister David Sengeh as President Bio’s prospective choice. Let’s not be fooled, for many believe that David has been positioning himself for consideration; thanks by virtue of his position as Chief Minister or artfully on purpose.
We have also seen how he has been strategically positioned by others, like light to moth. While others accused him of attention seeking, we saw how the First Minister empathised with prisoners in deplorable conditions, advocated for the downpressor man and for changes in the penal laws. He has been the face of some development projects central or close to Bio’s agenda and vision. As Chief Minister, David was the central figure and representative of the ruling party during the tortuous tripartite negotiations; possibly aimed at lending some credence to his ability to navigate a contemptuous political landscape and the art of negotiations and conflict resolutions. So far, David has been subtly showcased very well. President Bio once said during a meeting with the newly appointed Senegal’s leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye that the future of politics was in the hands of the youth. It was easy for the rumour merchants to insinuate that David was President Bio’s “ball yaie”. If this is attention seeking, then it is one big attention seeking with a purpose.
It is not official, but we cannot deny that others are busy marking their political ambitions and territories for the impending succession battle behind the scenes. Other names have been bandied around but it will be presumptuous to speculate here as most remain on the mute button. However, like all succession battles, the VPs are always mentioned as natural successors. It’s no wonder VP Juldeh Jalloh is seen by many as a natural successor. So, where does that leave Kandeh Yumkella, Sheku Fantamadi, Ali Kabba, and Musa Tarawally, to name but a few? While others are still mulling over the decision to run or not to run, suffice it to say that these names are names that have been plucked from several social media gossip columns. Nothing is official and woe be tide you to quote me.
On a serious note, and if you ever thought that President Bio will have difficulty to chart out his legacy and succession battle, spare a thought for the hapless APC. With all that has gone on, many would expect the APC to start the arduous task of regrouping and launching a better organised opposition stance, in preparation for the 2028 elections. Instead, the party has embarked on the dishonourable conduct of distraction and deceit. The APC boycotted parliament, and promised the world that there will be a rerun. They informed the world that Bio and his inner circle will be banned from entering the USA. They promised the supporters that President Bio will be removed from power as mandated by the Tripartite committee. ECOWAS decided to proactively mitigate against the military coups that took place in the West African Francophone countries of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and by extension Guinea with the formation of ECOMOG/ESDF. With plans to headquarter the force in Sierra Leone, it was peddled that ECOMOG was coming to remove President Bio from office. We all know what became of all these insinuated hot air.
President Bio is 18 months into his second term and must be thinking of succession and legacy. Meanwhile, the APC is now stuck with a new term called “ELECTORAL JUSTICE”. This is not aimed at giving President Bio a pass or a get out of jail card for what happened or did not happen during the last elections. No one is advocating for events to be swept under the carpet. But was that not the reason for the Tripartite meeting, to address and prevent such happening again? While the APC has been agitating for the release of the aggregated results or such, did Sylvia Blyden (love her or loathe her) not reveal that a similar exercise took place under the APC recently? And Sylvia Blyden is an APC stalwart.
Some political connoisseurs believe that the APC is experiencing an arrested political development or at cross roads to live or die. Some attribute it to the fact that most of its leaders belong to the old school. They believe that the APC needs an injection of new blood and a vibrantly positive approach to politics. Some of these APC “alagabas” have been there since the Late Pa Sheki founded the party. They have become part of the furniture and apparently seem reluctant to make way for a newer generation. They have been there even before the advent of the internet, WhatsApp, Tik Tok, Facebook, and Instagram, etc.
There is no doubt about the level of interest in politics from the young generation (Gen Z) these days. The ability of the young generation to partake in political discussions, to blog, to tell blatant lies, to deceive, peddle rumours and get their 15 minute fame , thanks to their superior technological know-how, is enough attraction for their interest in politics. In my day, and as a youth, we were meant to be seen and not to be heard. Politics was seen as the exclusive domain of our parents and our opinions never mattered.
Should someone tell the grandees of the APC that times have changed? Should they take a back seat and provide advisory roles to the new kids on the block, or risk driving the party into oblivion or obscurity? Their wealth of experience remain valuable to the party and cannot be underrated. But can that be better utilised elsewhere for the good of the party? Did anyone see the recent finger -pointing exercise that took place when the APC recently visited Kono District? Did that meeting reflect a party that was ready to lead, when it was primarily focused on castigating their “erstwhile flagbearer”? No one is excusing the need for this, but with barely 36 months to another general election, is this what the APC grass roots are looking for? Shouldn’t the APC be coming together and start singing the same hymn and Christmas carols with one voice? With NRM, Team A, Team B, and a potential Samura APC group, is the party at significant risk of self-harm or self-annihilation? The APC must use these succession of crises and moments to rediscover who they are and what they really really want.
Despite the accusations of being both an APC and SLPP sympathiser and member at the same time, I am a Democrat and some of us just want to see a viable and effective opposition that is fit for purpose. This is irrespective of which party is in power. Without an effective and meaningful opposition party, our democracy will remain but, a fleeting illusion that will be pursued but never attained. Without an effective opposition, we run the risk of autocracy, despotism, tyranny and backsliding of democracy as a nation. APC must wake up and give the people an alternative voice. President Bio must take note of EBK’s mistakes and ensure a smooth transition or succession, at least at party level. The SLPP will need transparency, honesty, and fairness to achieve this. Sierra Leone cannot afford two political parties vying to lead with both houses on fire. Both parties need to come up with winning combinations for the benefit of the country, irrespective of the eventual winner.
Don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave the room.
Abdulai Mansaray.
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